US Vice President J.D. Vance stated that Russia will “have some stake” in discussions about security guarantees for Ukraine in attempts to bring the war to an end, according to his interview with NBC News.

Vance argued that Russian participation is inevitable given their central role in the war.

“How can you reasonably provide security guarantees without talking to the Russians about what would be necessary to bring the war to a close?” he told NBC News, adding that “they’re the critical party necessary to stop the killing.”

The vice president also maintained the White House position that American military personnel will not be deployed to Ukraine under any security arrangement.

However, he assured that Washington would continue playing an active role in Ukrainian security and suggested European nations and other countries would take on significant responsibilities.

Russia wants security guarantees for Ukraine as discussed in 2022

Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff earlier said that Putin and Trump agreed on “reliable security guarantees” during their Alaska meeting on 15 August, including protections similar to NATO’s Article 5.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, also speaking to NBC News on 24 August, stated that security guarantees must “be built on consensus”.

He revealed that during Alaska talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed Donald Trump on principles the Ukrainian delegation had proposed during April 2022 negotiations in Istanbul.

According to Lavrov, those earlier Ukrainian proposals included establishing a security guarantor group comprising UN Security Council permanent members—Britain, China, the United States, France, and Russia—along with Germany, Türkiye, and other interested nations. The arrangement would require Ukraine to remain neutral, avoid military alliances, and maintain non-nuclear status.

Russia demands territorial concessions

Lavrov also told NBC that Russia does not recognize Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s legitimate leader but only as the “de facto head of the regime.”

Russian Foreign Minister demanded Ukraine surrender occupied territories, referring to eastern and southern Ukrainian regions as “Novorossiya” and insisting Ukraine must “let people go” in these areas. He presented these territorial concessions as conditions for Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign state.

Europe ready to deploy peacekeepers

European officials are discussing plans to deploy British and French military personnel to Ukraine as security guarantees, with approximately 10 countries ready to participate in the initiative.

The plan involves European troops initially focusing on training Ukrainian forces away from combat zones, while the US would provide logistics, air support, intelligence sharing, and weapons without deploying American soldiers.

However, several European officials remain skeptical that these guarantees will actually deter Putin, with many expecting peace talks to fail and expose Russia’s unwillingness to end the conflict.